"We're here, we're queer and we're going to vote Conservative!"

Last Saturday Brighton Conservatives had their own float for the town's Gay Pride celebration. The float was covered with pink union flags and with people wearing 'I've come out... I'm a Tory' t-shirts. In the centre of the photograph below is David Bull, the Tory candidate for Brighton Pavillion.

Anastasia Beaumont-Bott was part of the float and wrote this report for LGBTory:

"Today we took part in David Bulls float on the gay pride parade which was just incredible. We had 20 LGBT Conservatives on the float wearing a mixture of Davids "I've come out... I'm a tory!" vests and our LGBTory branded tshirts with our colourful rainbow logo across the chest. The music was blaring, the crowd were screaming their approval, and with a slight lurch the float full of euphoric LGBT Conservatives screaming "We're here, we're queer and we're going to vote Conservative!" made it's way around Brighton. It was just fantastic. Unlike Pride London where we were able to walk with Boris Johnson at the front of the parade as part of his support group, here we were very much out there on our own - but it didn't hinder us. The thing about LGBTory is you've got to say it loud and proud. We know we're up against a mountain of stumblnig blocks with the LGBT community and we don't blame them one bit. But what makes it worth while is going to places like Brighton today and seeing that despite the past, despite moments when perhaps they had every right to hate our guts, the LGBT community are open to listening to our message. LGBTory isn't about defining people by their sexuality. Infact, quite the opposite. We are about defining people by a concrete hard wall against homohobia. We don't stand for it in the workplace and like hell will we stand for it in politics. We are inclusive of all because the battle against homophobia has to come from ALL - gay and straight; perhaps that's why the LGBT communities are willing to at least hear us out."

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"We're here, we're queer and we're going to vote Conservative!"

Last Saturday Brighton Conservatives had their own float for the town's Gay Pride celebration. The float was covered with pink union flags and with people wearing 'I've come out... I'm a Tory' t-shirts. In the centre of the photograph below is David Bull, the Tory candidate for Brighton Pavillion.

Anastasia Beaumont-Bott was part of the float and wrote this report for LGBTory:

"Today we took part in David Bulls float on the gay pride parade which was just incredible. We had 20 LGBT Conservatives on the float wearing a mixture of Davids "I've come out... I'm a tory!" vests and our LGBTory branded tshirts with our colourful rainbow logo across the chest. The music was blaring, the crowd were screaming their approval, and with a slight lurch the float full of euphoric LGBT Conservatives screaming "We're here, we're queer and we're going to vote Conservative!" made it's way around Brighton. It was just fantastic. Unlike Pride London where we were able to walk with Boris Johnson at the front of the parade as part of his support group, here we were very much out there on our own - but it didn't hinder us. The thing about LGBTory is you've got to say it loud and proud. We know we're up against a mountain of stumblnig blocks with the LGBT community and we don't blame them one bit. But what makes it worth while is going to places like Brighton today and seeing that despite the past, despite moments when perhaps they had every right to hate our guts, the LGBT community are open to listening to our message. LGBTory isn't about defining people by their sexuality. Infact, quite the opposite. We are about defining people by a concrete hard wall against homohobia. We don't stand for it in the workplace and like hell will we stand for it in politics. We are inclusive of all because the battle against homophobia has to come from ALL - gay and straight; perhaps that's why the LGBT communities are willing to at least hear us out."